World War II - The Vanguard Issue #4a - All aboard the Odin!

smaug wrote:OOC: Bloody hell, options, options, options.
I think slowing down or stopping the U boats with the atlanteans are a must.
Regards the planes......our aircraft are far too slow so is sentinel for that matter, even if there is some way to speed him up (upgrade is boosters or transport him) it would take hours and properly some would slip past costing lives but with out being big headed I think he might be one of the best bets to wipe those planes out making them drop out the sky in to the ocean like stones.

So is there no way of 'connecting' sentinel to the AA defences via the dark power or future tec or using a series of psi's and put up a 'wall' in front of the enemy aircraft in the attempt to knock them out of the sky.......i would think that would be using the dark power to flight sentinel into the fray and turn him into a metal morphing EMP, that'll weaken him so much it'll properly kill him even with the dark shadows helping him.

Just brain storming

OOC: All good ideas mate - depending on if and what Paul will allow, but I don't know its been pretty overwhelming lately and if I am honest I'm pretty unsure as to what to do. I have been resisting posting as I wanted to think about it, but in game terms you feel like a Nat in a hurricane. Yes I know we've got the dark power, but on a scale of one to ten we seem to be able to go from 1 (where we normally are) to 2 or 3, but anything above that and we're in deep trouble.

1) The problem is we've lost Lionheart, so we can't get to the Arctic, the Atlantean's would be good later but we get one shot and I'm not sure this is it right now. 2) How can we who can only fly at 15 mph get around quick enough to defeat so many. 3) yes we can use the dark power, but how much and for how long before we do the Nazi's dirty work for them and we destroy the UK. Especially when you consider 4) As Paul said earlier this part of the war went on for ages, we can't keep going for days and days without sleep. And without the dark power, good though we might be, it will be too localised.

But such is the lot of Heroes, if we've got to go up and fight these things on our own so be it. We can get Wynn to do his thing with the weather which will make a difference, depending on how tired he is. I think we're perhaps seeing the final days of Wynn. Mind you his Shadow will go find someone else no doubt. The Vanguard will live on.

If you've anything to offer by way of a nudge in the right direction now would be a good time Paul, otherwise it all seems pretty overwhelming mate. Not sure if you meant to go for that feeling, but I'm a bit stumped.

Sj

OOC You're right - it is overwhelming, but it's meant to be, so as not to underestimate the size of your task. Ok, one nudge coming up...but it may be in a direction you never expected!

It was all a little too much for the Vanguard. They were warriors, soldiers, guardians... not planners, Generals... In truth Forbes and Dawson seemed somewhat overwhelmed. Their prised assets - the Vanguard - were to be sent off to help stem the tide, but where? And how? "Take 10 minutes whilst we confer" said Dawson to Sentinel and Frostbite. Some of the lady soldiers in the room glanced as the now famous pair left the room and up stairs, past the guard MPs who saluted their ranks and into the corridor. "Go grab us a cuppa Steve, see you in the canteen." said Frostbite. He made his weary way to the toilet and his head spun with the enormity of the task.

Whilst stood at the wall he suddenly shivered and a voice rasped 'Behind you'



Frostbite turned to see the beautiful woman he'd met before, one who he knew the Shadow Demons were using as their emissary. She raised an eyebrow, glancing down at Frostbite as she leaned against the wall. Frostbite blinked and hastily zipped himself up!

'You feel the enormity of the task and your power will be insufficient somehow, mortal?' she purred. The voice that Frostbite heard from her mouth seemed to sound inside his head even though her lips moved. 'You who have battled insurmountable odds, crushed foes that should have overwhelmed you and come from a time where you are vilified, yet fight on for the good of the people who would have you stoned and jailed? Know this. Fail here and we will not stand in the way of the Devourer. We are realistic. The power you call on is needed. Without it this mortal shell I wear cannot possibly harness the might needed to turn aside the doom that threatens your world and all on it!'

"I think what she's saying is 'you need to get a grip' Joe." chirped another, younger voice and the woman hissed, eyes widening and teeth bared! Hoskyn turned, bemused and astounded as the cubicle door opened and the young boy who was Nowhere Man in this timeline stepped out, still in his school uniform!

"Contessa." he said, glancing at the woman as he walked past Joe and the Shadow Woman to wash his hands before turning to dry them. Looking about he added "We meet in the strangest of places." Then his eyes narrowed, and he turned to the woman. She seemed to wither under his gaze, losing confidence and looking less assured. "It's customary to bow in the prescence of your King." he growled, eyes blazing with energy!

The woman stood up straight, as if to defy him, then noticed the youngster clench his fist! A look of fear passed over her and she took a step back, before muttering 'You... you are... n... n... no longer my King! We usurped you, for being weak!'

Nowhere Boy took a step towards the woman who cried out, crouching and covering her head as she panicked! He stopped and turned to Frostbite.

"The land is threatened. I will call the Lore Knights. In addition to that, there is perhaps another option." he said. "Oh do get up woman. You never bowed and scraped when you were one of my concubines!" he growled.

"The land of Morgana, the land of mist. Avalon. She owes you. Call a favour in. Unfortunately there's no subtle way to do this. The land is imperilled, more now than at any time since 1066 - or so the Historians would tell you. The Lore Knights have battled threats worse than this through the ages." he turned to the door, as did you all. Silver Sentinel bobbed his head around the door, shouting "Joe? Your tea is... getting... cold?"

Nowhere Boy smiled, then turned to Frostbite, seeing his confusion. "Damn. I forget. Joseph Rigdon. It was a different... you." He turned to the woman. "You have leave to go. Form up a cadre of faithful warriors and have them return here at midnight tonight. We will hunt the enemy down, and I will try to forget that you and others attempted to kill me. Go.". The woman, this time, bowed her head... then vanished!

Nowhere Boy turned to Frostbite and Silver Sentinel. "I have work to do. Head to North Wales - the Isle of Bardsey more specifically. Wait until the tide goes out, and the mist is in, then look at the island from the mainland and repeat these words...'Anáil nathrach, ortha bhas betha, do cheol déanta'. It is the charm of making, I believe, but I'm not a sorcerer. I HAVE lived dozens of lifetimes though and picked up a few bits along the way. Morgana will hear." He looked at the confused faces of Frostbite and Silver Sentinel and sighed. "All I can say right now is, you did her a big favour and it's time to call it in." He turned, looked as if the toilet wall wasn't there, head tilted slightly. "The land calls..." he sighed again. "And I have an endless debt to pay. See you soon."

Then Nowhere Boy vanished!

Sentinel gaped, staring at the spot where Nowhere Boy had stood then looked up at Frostbite "Forgot... to ask... do you take sugar?" he said, voice trailing off...

OOC Joe Rigdon (Frostbite 1) & Putty (Anymans first incarnation) went to the land of Avalon. Nowhere Man, in one of his many incarnations, has been there too. How much Joe remembers is up to you. The thread is found here... Will be sending out a call for Lore Knights in a week or two. Chance to test another game system and run some more spooky supernatural type adventures, if anyone is interested... Up to you how you get to Wales. It's a fair trek from just North of London and Forbes/Dawson won't be happy - again - that you're scuttling off, especially for what amounts to a fairy hunt...

Admin wrote:OOC You're right - it is overwhelming, but it's meant to be, so as not to underestimate the size of your task. Ok, one nudge coming up...but it may be in a direction you never expected!

OOC: Ok its good that I wasn't panicking for no reason then ;-).

Admin wrote:Nowhere Boy turned to Frostbite and Silver Sentinel. "I have work to do. Head to North Wales - the Isle of Bardsey more specifically. Wait until the tide goes out, and the mist is in, then look at the island from the mainland and repeat these words...'Anáil nathrach, ortha bhas betha, do cheol déanta'. It is the charm of making, I believe, but I'm not a sorcerer. I HAVE lived dozens of lifetimes though and picked up a few bits along the way. Morgana will hear." He looked at the confused faces of Frostbite and Silver Sentinel and sighed. "All I can say right now is, you did her a big favour and it's time to call it in." He turned, looked as if the toilet wall wasn't there, head tilted slightly. "The land calls..." he sighed again. "And I have an endless debt to pay. See you soon."

For a moment Sentinel saw Frostbite, Joe, completely lost for words. Then he saw a strange look cross his face as his mouth seemed to move of its own. Sentinel didn't know much about the mysterious group he'd joined. But along the way had noted that somehow, some of them had, had past lives. It was all a but suspect, but even now the truth of those words seemed to sink home, as he saw Joe another Joe; speak to the present one. Already it hurt to think about it, but Sentinel realised it must be more confusing to live with it.

Moments later, Joe stepped out of his trance like state and smiled. "Avalon, we've got to get to Avalon, she'll be able to help us. Bless her, yes....but the big wigs are going to hate it!"

"What, Run off AGAIN!" Forbes colour didn't look healthy. Everyone in the war room was on edge, the scope of scale of it all was shocking. Dawson did his best to act as the peacemaker, but Joe had also begun to loose his temper. Doing so with a superior officer was never easy, but then they had a weight on their shoulders few could fully understand.

"Sir with all due respect, permission to speak freely." Forbes was still trying to catch his breath, Dawson waved at Joe to let him speak.

"Sir when have you know me or my team to be wrong! When have you known us to chase up a lead that didn't help us out in some way? Sir trust me, there are mystical forces that protect this island and have done for a millennia. These people are no more legend than we are and right now we need all the help we can get. I've called in a few favours and this is the biggest. We need quick transport to Wales and hopefully we'll be back within 24 hours where we can have the assistance of many. Sir, times are desperate, we are facing an unprecedented attack by forces we barely comprehend. Sir its about time, despite our own pre conceived ideas of what should and shouldn't be, to call on our own forces that can match the threat we face."

Joe stood down, his face impassive as he hoped his words would make an impact on Forbes. He realised that this was all outside of his sphere of understanding, let along the chain of command. But he also knew that all such conventional weapons would be useless. He'd read the reports of what happened in France a dozen times. Huge waves of men and machines minced up by the Nazi's war effort and Britain was going to be next. Strange as the whole concept seemed, Joe knew that Forbes wasn't about to give in yet, unconventional or not.

[OOC: I'm kinda assuming that Forbes lets us go and we get some sort of transport to Wales, a small plane or something. Which ironically, as you pointed out, for all our power would be faster than either Sentinel or me!]

A few hours after the fateful meeting with Nowhere Boy, Frostbite and Sentinel sat on the beach as the tide was going out. Fortunately they'd arrived just in time and as the mists rolled in Frostbite stood up, and spoke falteringly at first then with a stronger voice, "'Anáil nathrach, ortha bhas betha, do cheol déanta'." And awaited what would happen next.

OOC:

Ok if I remember correctly Avalon was where Putty let the power take him over destroyed Modred and the Shadow demon he had. But in the process Putty destroyed a lot else. I realise we are back in time before that happened, but does that mean we also be fore Morgana became a reformed character? Also does she know me if we've gone back in time? If possible I will take the opportunity to warn her about what happens, since the time line is already messed, up letting her live out with the land is a good thing, I hope.

if I get a chance I will reread the thread, it seems like an age ago.

PS thanks for the tip, I really was struggling to know what I should do with this one, the whole Avalon thing, for the reasons above, was something I'd not thought off.

Sj

Forbes had slumped into a chair and the group had left with Dawsons' blessing. First though...

"I say chaps." he shouted to the group as they marched across the airfield towards a waiting Mosquito Fighter/Bomber. (OOC I just need an idea of who's coming to - Sentinel, Frostbite... Guillotine? Frostbot? From the Justiciars you can pick from Hothead and Mist Maiden. Everyone else is in either a hospital bed or dead. or missing legs, or burnt and out of action permanently.) "There's something we can help with. Don't worry about Forbes. Truth be told, the RAF boys will be able to pick the bombers out of the air - they are faster thanks to the tinkering by the Nazis, but they need to slow down to hit anything with their bombs. Then we'll have 'em. I'll not lie to you though - when they get their Supers into action we've no defence - save you lot - against them, so don't be too long."

"Anyway, here we are. Prototype no. 2, first one stuffed itself into the floor. They gave us this after we pestered the PM, despite that it's nowhere near ready for production at least until next year - assuming we're still here. And yes, it's made out of wood." he said, running a hand along the wing. "Where was I? Ah yes. The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito. Originally designed to be made of wood, we've ah, buggered about with it. Steel bracing and subframe thanks to our friend there..." he tipped his pipe towards Silver Sentinel. "All those days we had you testing your powers by melting metal into odd moulds? Well your metal is stronger than welding by nearly 300%. There's already been a call to second you to aircraft design and production. I told 'em to bugger off, mind you. Aim was to keep weight down. We've mostly managed that because this isn't the final spec with a bomb bay. We, ah, added those, based on the jet packs you lot have been bringing us."

He pointed to twin pods above and below the wings, smaller than the Rolls Royce Merlin engines and looking very much like an enlarged Nazi jet pack. "Played about with the injector sizes and came to a nice compromise. The aim with this was to get a fast bomber, and trials show it is. It's almost matching the Spitfire, and they reckon on fine tuning the power to beat it by some 20mph. Impressive, but not quick enough for us. With ramjet boost this one will get to 550mph! We think it'll go faster but most likely tear the wings off, so don't bother. Try to bring it back in one piece." He puffed on his pipe, admiring the sleek craft, shook his head, and wandered off. The RAF pilots stared in astonishment at the Vanguard - they'd heard much, seen the newspapers and sat in wonder whilst the wireless regaled of their adventures and accomplishments, but to actually see them, in the flesh?

=========

Now the Prototype sat, engines ticking, where it had taxied to a halt in a field...

Wynn had been woken and chirped in with the arguments for the Vanguard to once more go 'off base'. He of course was one of them, and had made the argument that their powers would be best suited countering the threat of the superhumans whilst the brave officers of the RAF scythed through the Nazi bombers - at least they hoped they would. Reports were coming in of Spitfires engaging the bombers over the cliffs of Dover, and in some cases simply being outrun!

Frostbite and Silver Sentinel watched the dying embers of the sun recede and the mist gently rolling in. The distant island of Bardsey was becoming more enshrouded when the Vanguards leader stood and called out the charm of making.

Sentinel glanced at his friend then out at the water.

"Is this it? What happens next?" he asked.

Just then they heard the sounds of singing, a siren song, plaintive and lonely, echo over the water...



Silver Sentinel gaped, astonished, even after all he'd seen and done in the Vanguard! Some old memory - or perhaps someone elses' memory inside of Frostbite, prepared him for the sight of the beautiful mermaid perched on a rock that had not been there a moment before...

"The Queen welcomes you again Joseph Rigdon, warrior. When she spoke of you and your friend, she described beings that were as gods. And yet... I sense in you no arrogance that you would look down upon we fey folk or even your fellow man. Morgana has not forgotten the aid you gave her and so sends me to bid you welcome to the land of mist once more. What brings you to our hallowed realm?" she said in a faintly musical sounding voice...

OOC:

Ok in terms of who is coming, I think that it ought to be Sentinel and Me the rest are too important to take with us and their help might not be as useful as having Sentinel with me. That is unless Sentinel/Ross wants to duck out and do what is needed here and hold the fort. Truth be told we aren't going to encounter a lot of metal ''

Admin wrote:"The Queen welcomes you again Joseph Rigdon, warrior. When she spoke of you and your friend, she described beings that were as gods. And yet... I sense in you no arrogance that you would look down upon we fey folk or even your fellow man. Morgana has not forgotten the aid you gave her and so sends me to bid you welcome to the land of mist once more. What brings you to our hallowed realm?" she said in a faintly musical sounding voice...

Somewhat taken aback, but managing to remained composed, Frostbite manage to get ahold of himself. "Its not exactly Joe you're talking to...well it is..." Frostbite began to blush for the first time he felt heat under his armament of cold skin.

"I'll have to explain later, anyway, thank you. I've a request to make of the queen, our land is itself in dire need and we are in desperate need of help. Moreover that which we face, is a threat not only to our way of life, but to the land and all who call this home. I don't need to tell you, that as the shadows once found a way into your home, so this time with their coming you will not remain safe, either. Therefore I have come partly to warn the Queen but also to ask her to stand with us, for if we fail, the all will fall.

OOC:

Ok I want to try and get to see Morganna and find out what she can do to help us all out. Although I doubt it'll be as straightforward as that ;-)

Sj

"Shes beautiful" sentinel caught himself saying out loud.
"Er......i mean is she a friend of yours? do you need some back up? Just for muscle as you know my diplomacy is um.....some what lacking" he asked frostbite all the while his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him

OOC: I know there will be limited metal but Im assuming sentinel is already suited up, I'll just try not get trashed to badly.

The Mermaid smiled at the pair, seemingly to light up the scene with her beauty. Then her face darkened. "The Lady Morgana set out to heal the land after you... ah. I see. Time for you passes at a different rate than for us. In truth, it has only been days since you left. Despite the devastation your companion unleashed your heroics and determination are already becoming the stuff of legend, despite your short time with us. There is, ah, a problem. You may not recall what happened when you left. Mordred was defeated and the Queen restored thanks to the power of the Grail. It had another effect though." She sighed. "Best I explain as we move. I see you both fly without wings?" She slipped into the water and floated for a moment. "Keep me in sight and fly low, lest you become lost forever in the mist!"

She set off, followed closely by Frostbite and Silver Sentinel through the air.

"I realise my words fall as if they were water on a rock - some might sink in over time, but you have changed much since we saw you last only days ago. I watched from the lake as the Queen vowed to restore the land and crush the remainder of Mordreds' forces, scattered as they were. The problem lay in the solution, and it's nearly as confusing as it sounds! The Grail restored Queen Morgana's youth and goodness, but a day and a night later her servants heard a scream in the ruins of the castle*. They came running only to see the Queen woken in her bed and fretful. We first thought it to be but a nightmare, but the reality is far worse!"

"The power of the Grail, all it's goodness, drove the evil out of the Queen once and for all! All her evil thoughts and acts were done, and it was as if bright sun broke through black clouds over the land! The reality is that it drove the evil from the Queen ... and the evil reformed into the image of Morgana, save with naught but evil power and intent! We weren't to know...the Queen strode through the castle ruins, which are being rebuilt, with a retinue of guards the labourers did not recognise. They continued to work though, for they love the Queen and would see her castle restored. Little did we know... that was the Evil Queen come to kidnap the Good Queen! So when I say 'The Queen welcomes you' I fear I may have stretched the truth somewhat. The land and the Queen DO welcome you - to come to the land and save her from her evil self!"
"Whilst we scour the land for the Queen we raised another up in her stead. She is acting Queen..."

The mist started to thin and the lapping of water suggested they were coming to a beach... The trio saw a group of people on the beach waiting.

"Fear not, for you are among friends, and expected!" declared the Mermaid. "You are much changed, Joseph Rigdon, and though you may not recall much, if any, of what happened only a few short days ago for us, our new stand in Queen remembers you..."



"Queen Elesieth..."



Stood with the Queen were a bunch of warriors, all Elfin in appearance and relatively tall. They were calm but their eyes missed nothing! All studied the flying newcomers without expression, though Sentinel was sure he saw a look of astonishment pass across the shortest Elves' face.

The Queen looked up at the flying men. Her forehead wrinkled slightly and she cocked her head to one side. "Joseph? Is that you? You are...Different?" Her eyes misted up with tears - she had died when the castle was destroyed during Puttys rampage, and raised back to life thanks to the magic of the (now good) Queen Morgana, but Frostbite knew none of that - as far as he was aware, Elesieth had been killed, and a piece of his heart had been lost with her!

One of the Elven warriors stepped forward. "My Queen! This is a great risk you take, sending out a call to the land to be heard in the mortal realm! The evil Queen may have agents there! These could belong to her and ready to use their Magicks to strike you down!"

Another chimed in "My fellow ranger speaks truth, my Queen! When you were entrusted with the crown in the Queens' stead all who knew you declared you the most suitable for your kindness, wisdom and bravery! Use that wisdom now and let us capture these two to ensure they do not follow the dark Queens ways!"

The Elves instantly - as one - nocked arrows to bows and pointed them at the Vanguardians!

OOC *The castle was destroyed in the apocalypse Putty unleashed. It all happened in August 2010, so don't worry if you don't remember anything. I had to check in on the old thread - we've done so much before, and after that it's hard to keep track sometimes!

OOC: Ok let me see if I've got this straight, the Queen we rescued, Morganna at the touch of the grail was healed. But in addition that which was evil within her, somehow found expression, life and form and so their now exists two queen Morganna's one good and one evil. In her place, therefore she has raised up Elesieth, someone who had a bit of a thing for Joe, if I remember correctly.

Was it only Aug 2010...wow we have done a lot since then. Oh and one other thing, I so knew it was a mistake promising to be back within 24 hours, though time clearly does flow differently here, but it seems like it flows opposite. I do hope when we get back we've not either missed the action or found we're backwards before we left this time? How confusing would that be?

Frostbite felt a sudden lump in his throat at he looked and the beautiful and arresting Elesieth. He almost felt like he'd intruded on something but the sudden threat from the Queen's elf consorts, brought him back to reality.

"Friends..." He begun in a conciliatory tone as he held up his hands, "For that is what we once, not very long by your reckoning, where. I realise not all looks as it seems, but we are those who of stout heart vanquished the evil of Mordred. We come again, it seems not a moment too late." Frostbite would say more about their mission at a more expedient time, but it would best wait for now.

"Friends, how can we show you our intentions our honourable and we do not come to harm but help?"

OOC:

Not sure what is called for here, Frostbite's recollection of Joseph Rigdon's first journey here, is somewhat muted, owing to what happened. Although the headlines still scream loud and clear. Frostbite feels no threat so will happily come to where they are.

Oh had a thought, secondly he will hit the deck, and challenge the Elves, with the rhetorical question, "Would an enemy bow before you Queen." And he will let his ice armour melt away from his face as he goes forward to offer his support.

Lets see how that fits for size, before we work out what mess we've got ourselves into this time.

Sj

Steeple_jackuk wrote:OOC: Ok let me see if I've got this straight, the Queen we rescued, Morganna at the touch of the grail was healed. But in addition that which was evil within her, somehow found expression, life and form and so their now exists two queen Morganna's one good and one evil. In her place, therefore she has raised up Elesieth, someone who had a bit of a thing for Joe, if I remember correctly.

Correct

Was it only Aug 2010...wow we have done a lot since then. Oh and one other thing, I so knew it was a mistake promising to be back within 24 hours, though time clearly does flow differently here, but it seems like it flows opposite. I do hope when we get back we've not either missed the action or found we're backwards before we left this time? How confusing would that be?

No need to worry - there's magic involved, so it will all - sort of - work itself out, assuming nothing happens in the meantime. It's a dangerous place after all...

Frostbite felt a sudden lump in his throat at he looked and the beautiful and arresting Elesieth. He almost felt like he'd intruded on something but the sudden threat from the Queen's elf consorts, brought him back to reality.

"Friends..." He begun in a conciliatory tone as he held up his hands, "For that is what we once, not very long by your reckoning, where. I realise not all looks as it seems, but we are those who of stout heart vanquished the evil of Mordred. We come again, it seems not a moment too late." Frostbite would say more about their mission at a more expedient time, but it would best wait for now.

"Friends, how can we show you our intentions our honourable and we do not come to harm but help?"

OOC:

Not sure what is called for here, Frostbite's recollection of Joseph Rigdon's first journey here, is somewhat muted, owing to what happened. Although the headlines still scream loud and clear. Frostbite feels no threat so will happily come to where they are.

Oh had a thought, secondly he will hit the deck, and challenge the Elves, with the rhetorical question, "Would an enemy bow before you Queen." And he will let his ice armour melt away from his face as he goes forward to offer his support.

Lets see how that fits for size, before we work out what mess we've got ourselves into this time.

Sj

The Elves looked on in confusion as Frostbite lowered his 'armour' and knelt before the 'Queen'. Elesieth looked embarrassed. "No! No, these are friends! I... I see one wears a different guise but ..." She gently knelt and raised Frostbite up "Friends should not kneel to one another." and looked in his eyes. "It IS you isn't it?" she asked, looking into Frostbites' eyes and seeing someone else. "Perhaps... perhaps for a time you might wear your old form...? The one the people know?" She waved a hand and Frostbite changed...

Silver Sentinel was astonished!

OOC Elesieth has used the magic of the land - which as Queen is hers to command - to bring Joe Rigdon to the fore and Joseph Hoskyn to the back. Use the following setup...





"For just a while!" she said, flustered upon seeing Joe again, raising a hand to her mouth. "I never thought I... I would see you again!"

"My Queen!" interrupted one of the Elves. "We should go! The Dark Queens forces will seek you out! A land without a Queen upsets the balance and will tip it to darkness! You need to get away from..."

The Elves frowned, as did Elesieth. They seemed to sniff at the air. one shouted "too late!"

There came a guttural noise, like that of a large animal, then multiplied as if there were many... or ... a pack!



"Gnolls!" shouted another Elf, nocking an arrow and firing in one smooth stroke. It zipped through the air and thudded into the Gnolls' shield, punching through the wood and causing the thing to stagger under the impact! The cliff tops seemed to come alive as dozens of the things raced down towards the beach!

Elesieth turned to Joe. "I can turn you back, with but a thought if you fight better in your other form...?"

OOC You have 20-30 (hard to tell until they come over the cliff and down the paths) racing towards you. Frostbite is in his old form at the moment...

Admin wrote:OOC Elesieth has used the magic of the land - which as Queen is hers to command - to bring Joe Rigdon to the fore and Joseph Hoskyn to the back. Use the following setup...

OOC: Wahoo I'm back baby and lets not make it for one night only! Wow this multiple personalities thing is getting strange ;-). The only shame with old Joe and New is that New Joe has strength, still its great to have energy manipulation back.
====================

"For just a while!" she said, flustered upon seeing Joe again, raising a hand to her mouth. "I never thought I... I would see you again!"

Forgetting himself for a moment, Joe overwhelmed by what had just happened grasped Elesieth's hands, holding them close to himself.

"My Queen!"...One shouted "too late!"

Elesieth turned to Joe. "I can turn you back, with but a thought if you fight better in your other form...?"

Frostbite frowned for a moment, then shook his head. "For now let things be, I have been gone for some time and its good to see you. But as always their seems to be some great need that comes between us." Joe looked genuingly stricken, the emotion of what had transpired evident to see on his face. [i]"But I am a borrowed man, the other Joe deserves his shot"

The words were said sincerely, but Joe was fooling no one, he looked pained at both what he'd gained but also what he knew he couldn't hold onto. The combat was a welcome challenge to focus his attention.

"I imagine you can still handle yourself in a fight," Frostbite said as he iced over again and rising to the air, "But let the rest of us have a go as well, Ok."

Then turning to Sentinel, Frostbite said, "Ready for some action." Then realising his friend puzzled face, "Oh yes sorry, we've not formally met. Well awkward moment but I'm the original Frostbite and my position and the Joe you know has been reversed. Ok enough with the introductions we'd better see what we can do to save this day. We've still got a major war going on in England."

OOC
Ok take to the air and go intangible so as to scout ahead and see where the leader is. I am trying to be cautious though as I know Magic can still penetrate and hurt my intangible form. I'm quiet happy to get among the Gnolls and get them to attack me, pass through and hit one another. I'm also tempted to see if I can't use my big Ice Bomb Area Attack right in the middle of them.

Sj

"Er.....okay Joe nice to meet you in person I guess" sentinel answered with a quick hand shake
"as you properly know theres a reason I let ....Joe....the other Joe talk, now it my time to shine.........LETS CRACK SOME SKULLS" sentinel shouted with a clenched fist

OOC: Fly in to the nearest knoll (SS style) saving his plasma energy for later because Im sure I'll need ur for a 'boss battle' B-)

The Elves calmly formed into a semi-circle around their new Queen as fired arrow after arrow at the horde coming over the dunes! Frostbite iced up then turned intangible, soaring into the air and joined by Silver Sentinel who swooped down to turn himself into a battering ram of sorts, crashing into the lead group to scatter them like skittles! Frostbite acted with the assuredness of a warrior who'd seen it all, and there was no surprise on his face at the mythical beasts ranged against them.

CRASH! Silver Sentinel sent one spinning through the air.. he turned, delivered a kick through another's shield and catapulting it backwards, curled up! A sword clanged against his armour, but he barely felt it! A thrill ran through him - there was little or noting these foes could do to harm him!

Frostbite landed in the middle of a group, ignored their blades as they passed through him, then thrust a hand into the air, fist clenched. He turned tangible, then opened his hand...

FWOOOSH!

An explosion of ice darts shot out in every direction! Even those that held their shields up to cover their face felt the bite of the darts elsewhere and the Gnolls howled in agony! One had so many stuck in its face it couldn't see! The tactic, combined with Sentinel splitting their group and the constant hail of arrows, broke the creatures will and they turned, stumbling and falling, desperately trying to get away and rushing into their oncoming fellows! In their own gutteral language someone shouted "Back! BACK!" and others mistook it for a call to retreat!

Within moments the creatures had turned tail and fled, loping over the dunes and back towards the forest atop the cliff...

The Elves showed no mercy, slicing throats with daggers, though stopped when the Queen could stand no more "Leave them!" she shouted. "They will send message to their fellows that we are not to be tangled with!"

She strode up to where the Vanguardians stood. One Gnoll rose, pulling a dagger, but was contemptuously backhanded by Silver Sentinel , landing some 5m away in a heap!

"Your arrival was timely!" laughed the Queen. "It seems... " she frowned. "You have seen and done much in the days since I saw you last. I ... the Queen, restored me to life." She looked downwards. "I'm not worthy to fill her shoes, but was elected to this role, so I shall bear the burden until the Queen is restored. So, I request to thee... warrriors..." she looked from one to the other. "Will thou helpst me find the Queen and restore her to the throne?"

The Elves walked up to stand with the Queen, giving respectful silence to the powerhouses that had smashed a battle crazed squadron of Gnolls like they were nothing!

Admin wrote: "Will thou helpst me find the Queen and restore her to the throne?"

The Elves walked up to stand with the Queen, giving respectful silence to the powerhouses that had smashed a battle crazed squadron of Gnolls like they were nothing!

Somewhat slowly Frostbite turned to Sentinel, giving him a knowing nod of assurance. He knew as did they both, how precious time was, but fortunately as had been already explained, time worked differently here. Frostbite had every confidence they would keep the promise of being no longer than a day, no matter how long they spent in this blessed realm.

Turning back to the Elesieth, Frostbite took her hand and simple said, "Always, as duty and honour will allow." Then letting it go, he motioned for them to lead on.

OOC:

I hope I got this right and we will be back in time. The way time seems to flow here makes it hard to be sure. In any case wouldn't much of a point coming here if we ended up with a bombed and burnt out Britain.

We'll happily help out (as if you had to ask). But we'd better star differentiating these Queens, Queen Morganna, Elesieth and Evil M, so at least we know which one we're talking about.

Sj

Silver sentinel looked at frostbite and back to the young woman who stood in front of them

"of course we will" Jenson answered realizing he hasnt spoken in front of the warriors and trying not to seem like a brain dead moron that doesnt ever speak but still unsure what the proper sign of respect should be.
"...and if we see anymore of those wimpy mutts we'll send them packing" as soon as the words left his mouth sentinel though 'shut up Steve your making a prat of yourself, your talking too much'

OOC Differentiate the Queens by: Light Queen - Morgana, Dark Queen - Morrigan, New Queen - Elesieth. To recap - after drinking from the Grail the Light Queen was restored to youth and health. She set about using her magic to heal the land. In a weakened state after exerting herself she apparently split into two people, identical in looks but wildly contrasting in outlook. The Dark Queen and her allies (the remnants of her son Mordreds' forces - he was slain by Putty) kidnapped the Light Queen, location unknown. The New Queen, the Elf Elesieth, was restored to life by the Light Queens' power and served as assistant to the Light Queen until her kidnap. Before then she was one of the leaders of the resistance and was beloved by the good creatures and people of the land alike. It seemed natural for them to elevate her to the status of stand in Queen. The land recognises the stand in and has granted her vast magical powers, though she is not fully conversant in them and reluctant to simply 'play about'. It's clear the Dark Queen wants rid of this new Queen as that would give her free reign to subjugate the world and from there, look to other worlds.

Don't worry about the time difference - you'll be back (assuming you survive the mess you're about to wander into!) in good time to participate in the Battle of Britain. Truth be told not a lot will change from history - the Spitfires will cut into the bombers who, whilst being faster than before, still need to slow to bomb targets. The problem is when the Bombers get there first. The Vanguard don't fly fast enough to keep up with either so need a means of keeping up, plus an army to take the fight to the Nazis. That's why you are here. Succeed in this mission, and you'll get both...

In the absence of any pre-prepared Fantasy land map, this version of 'Albion' (actually 'New Albion' as the magical people called Britain Albion before they left it to man and moved here) will use Karameikos because a) it's handy and b) there's loads of maps about and c) I could draw a map of my own world (and probably should) but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things - this is just one part of a larger campaign.

The small party walked over the dunes, Elves searching with bows and eyes ready, but the enemy had been routed. For now. One of the Elves spoke. "We should not see any more trouble until we get to Marilnev your highness. Likely those Gnolls were a chance raiding party who caught on our scent. The Dark Queen would not risk a prize such as yourself to the mercies of such low born creatures. These warriors..." and he nodded to Sentinel and Frostbite "Will be more than ample to see off such creatures. Ne'er have I seen the like, though I heard tales of the Icy one. The Knight I have ne'er seen before, but that does not make him less welcome!" He nods in respect.



Elesieth looked uncomfortable with the status the Elves afforded her. She turned to the Vanguardians. "The land told me you were coming, so I thought it best to greet you in person. We will shortly be in the town of Marilnev where we will rest for the evening, if it suits. After dark the good peoples of the land bar their doors still. With the Dark Queen risen to take the place of her son, it seems their lot has not improved, sadly. Only two days past, there was rejoicing and singing in the streets! Now? Fear abounds and mistrust is writ on every face. They were saved, now only to be told they were only given a reprieve, and that short at best." she sighed.

The group crested a hill on a well rutted path to look down on the seen of a town on the edge of a river, the setting sun glittering from its waters. "Marilnev." said the Queen, with a sweep of her hand. Suddenly there was a flurry of motion from the trees, and a bright white shape emerged!



"B'esameth! King of horses!" exclaimed the Queen, laughing excitedly and somewhat betraying her new regal status. She swept up her skirts in her hand and ran to the creature which trotted towards her and bowed its head in respect. The Elves stood, looking on in admiration. "The Unicorns approach only the Queen now. They sense the pure goodness in her. All others have a measure of dark in them. Even you, I'd wager, brave warriors, hold a dark part of your soul within. Ever the lot it is of a warrior that they should need to slay others. Since her rebirth Elesieth has given life to all she touches. She is truly a wonder. Come! We'll see you fed and tell of our plan to rescue the Light Queen! I am T'omadarr, warrior and head of the Queens Praetorian. We are few in number - as yet - but have sent a delegation to the Elven lands to recruit more of our people. The humans have always viewed us with mistrust, and having an Elven Queen does not sit well with them. I fear it is in there... your nature to look down on other races until they have proven their worth."

There is a snort of derision from another Elf. T'omadarr continues "Don't mind B'esrik. He more than most harbours a dark soul - a warrior born all will agree - but none sing fairer or strum a lute so lightly!"

B'esrik shakes his head but smiles anyway.

Walking through the gates of the town, which open to admit the - now riding - Queen and her retinue, the people bow when the Queen approaches, much to her embarrassment. They look on in wonder at the Unicorn and the two warriors though. People soon gather closer and the group approaches a large inn where T'omadarr turns to the pair. "B'esrik will wait here with you good sirs. I apologise for the curiosity of the people, but they see many strange things these days. We will ensure the Queens rooms are safe and that the place is secure, then send for you." He bows his head then leaves Frostbite and Silver Sentinel with B'esrik in the yard in front of the inn, surrounded by commoners. They wear medieval peasant garb and look on in wonder at the newcomers. "Time was they would look at Elves in the same way." grunted B'esrik. He looked uncomfortable at the press of people. "T'omadarr worries too much. There'll be no attack here."



OOC or will there?

Frostbite struggled to take it all in, but his heart swelled with a sense of peace over the destruction that had been restored to the land. Putty had know idea what he'd done. But looking on it now, Frostbite hoped he might have the chance to tell him what had happened.

The press of the people was something Frostbite had been used to, in his own time line many jeered, some cheered but most looked on curious.

Admin wrote: "Time was they would look at Elves in the same way." grunted B'esrik. He looked uncomfortable at the press of people. "T'omadarr worries too much. There'll be no attack here."
OOC or will there?

"I agree with you friend, so I hope you won't mind if we take our leave. When I was within this land before the Queen Morganna had enemies both within her camp as well as without. I'd like to examine this place, for we know that evil never sleeps and will always seek an gap into which it might thrust its ever seeking blade."

And without waiting Frostbite strode (intangible) into the building, within which he then floated up through the floors till he was with Elesieth and the others.

OOC: As soon as Elesieth went inside to check things out you had my suspicions raised, so I am not waiting around for the sudden scream or to find out Elesieth has been kidnapped and we're left looking like lemons.

As I leave I'll whisper to Sentinel to be on his guard, I don't like the way things look and I will call if I need help.

I have my suspicions about this character, B'esrik as well, given that there was a traitor in the camp before who also harboured a secret that let us be betrayed before.

Sj

Admin wrote:OOC You may have already missed a vital clue. I'll wait till Sentinel acts then update the action... And yes, you remember right - there was a traitor in the group last time. As to the clue? Take a look at my last post again...

OOC: Whoops failed my perception check, ok so I see a strange dark figure ontop of the roof - nicely done. Shame I completely missed it first time.

Frostbite suddenly was aware of something above. Some sixth sense, some primal instinct honed from years of being soldier with no powers to but his wits to rely on. He looked up and suddenly caught sight of a dark figure, no more than a flash and it was gone.

Turning to Sentinel he said, "Sentinel, trouble." And with that he motioned above even as he himself floated up to investigate the roof space, but not before telling B'esrik, "Warn the others, we're not alone."

OOC: Ok I am of a mind to shoot first and ask questions later. But lets see what we can see first, if its hostile, threatening and gives me trouble we strike back with extreme prejudice.

Sj

"Trouble? Why am I not surprised......the whole galaxy us trying to kill us." he jokingly replied as he bent gud knees and launched himself into the air joining his friend and took chase
"Cant you ever make friends......you were alone alot as a child wernt you" sentinel added thinking he'd better stay close to frostbite as this place was like nothing he'd ever seen before, maybe read about though like from the author J.R.R Tolken a fellow man of the trenches.
Weird but o so beautiful and until now peaceful.

OOC Already posted once, only for the connection to drop. If it pops up anyway I'll delete it. So, here we go again...

The pair of heroes took off into the air drawing gasps from the crowd! Many had seen magic before, but it was always so noticeable, what with the chanting, gestures and flashing light. This was instant - the pair willed themselves up and defied gravity as natural as another person might walk across the street!

The dark clad figure gave pause, seeing as they were noticed, then pulled a small black crossbow from the folds of a dark cloak! For a moment it seemed they would fire on the two approaching heroes, then the figure turned and sprinted back up the roof with a speed and grace to rival any cat! Disappearing over the crest of the roof the pair of Vanguardians sped up, flying up to look down ... only to see the figure had run down the other side of the roof, dropped around 10m to ground level and had almost reached the trees behind the inn!

The figure paused, turning to look at the heroes as if defying them or challenging them... then turned to go into the woods!

OOC You are moving slower than this character who seems to have supernatural speed, agility and balance. If you give chase you might get into range with your energy blasts before they vanish into the woods. Your call.

Admin wrote:OOC You are moving slower than this character who seems to have supernatural speed, agility and balance. If you give chase you might get into range with your energy blasts before they vanish into the woods. Your call.

OOC: Yes it looks good to see us float in the sky, but it looks feeble and embarrassing to see the terrific speed at which we fly, yet I presume on foot we'd be slower?
==

"I don't like this, is this someone trying to lure us away or are they planning to ambush us? They seem to want us to follow, what do you think?" Frostbite said to Sentinel.

==

OOC: I think we should give chase, yes I know this might be a ruse, so that Elesieth will be kidnapped in our absence, but then again she might not be! But in for a penny...

I think regardless of what Sentinel will do, I will follow and seek to find out what I can, I'll go low and intangible so that I can fly faster going through rather than around and also can keep this canny fellow in sight the whole time.

Sj

Frostbite turned to sentinel but before he could speak

"I know, just go......and stay in touch at all times (OOC: via walkie talkie dark shadows) okay?" sentinel understood tactics well and knew what this figure could be up to, he then returned to Elesieth at street level.

"Im sure his hooded figure will be dealt with swiftly, for Joe is a talented man"

"He is indeed" sentinel replied with a slight nod of his armour plated head "he'll be fine" he whispered to himself reassuringly "he'll be fine"

OOC: That picture was genius and evil.......mostly evil

Frostbites' uneasy feeling continued as he sped into the trees. The dark clad figure moved with unnatural speed, but could not move through trees. Frostbite didn't have time to look at the trees, which seemed almost alive with a semblance of a face!

As the trees got thicker and more closely bunched, Frostbite caught a sight of the dark clad figure and increased his pace (OOC to a 'heady' 17mph... ) Moving through trees he narrowed the gap with a straight line path...

Suddenly the Dark Clad figure was in front of him, bow nocked with a glowing arrow! Frostbites' heart jumped - magic had a strange effect - one could never quite tell what effect magic would have! Still, Joseph Rigdon was an experienced campaigner, and in addition to his own adventures had shared, albeit as an observer, everything Joseph Hoskyn had done...

'Your power is supreme.' said the Dark power inside. 'Unlike that neophyte, though I will concede that his bravery is peerless. Call on me as you will.'

OOC My 'draft' rules/thoughts on higher level Dark power use are as follows: Multiply the Dark Power roll by the level. Multiply the duration of said powers by level. More benefits when I think of them, open to suggestions. Frostbite (in his current form) is Dark Power Level 3. He needs to use the Dark power 15 times to advance to level 4. Character sheet will be updated.

"Stop." said the Dark Figure.

Frostbite frowned. That voice! Somehow ... familiar, though muted because of the distance and the half face mask/scarf.

The figure was female though - the form and shape of the body clearly stated that.

"Leave this place. You will do more harm than good!"

Again, where had he heard that voice before? Frostbite puzzled, but he was still 10m away from the mysterious figure...

==========

Silver Sentinel sped back to where B'esrik waited...

"You amaze and baffle in equal amounts 'hero' " sneered the haughty Elf. Clearly that assassin was one of a group and designed to draw you away whilst the others attacked our Queen. "Come! Let us make haste! The Queen is imperilled!"

He sped inside, whilst Silver Sentinel flew in through the same door, having to land and run. He could not keep pace with the Elf who seemed unnaturally fast!

Moving through a large common room where peasant farmers and travellers looked on in confusion as the strange warrior clanked through the place, both hit the stairs at a run and hearts leapt in their mouths as they heard a gasped cry from somewhere above them - the third floor perhaps!

Bounding the stairs three at a time the pair came onto a landing - but not before climbing onto and over the bodies of Elesieths' rangers!

Silver Sentinel rounded the bannister and came face to face with three warriors - dark clad, wearing cloaks and hoods, bows nocked and levelled at Sentinel!

"Turn around. Go home." said one of the Dark Rangers. Behind him and the others, a window at the end of the landing was open, and had clearly been used by the others of this group to abscond with the new Queen!

B'esrik kept his eyes on the three and spoke quietly. "Stranger, beware! Those are death arrows but..." he looked about. "They have not used them thus far!" He leaned in with a hand pressed to the throat of one of the rangers. "In fact... my friends are not dead, but some are missing, along with the Queen! What transpires here?"

As one, the three pulled back on the bow strings, all aimed at Silver Sentinel!

"Last warning Knight. Leave this realm. You upset the balance!" said one of the Dark Rangers.

OOC Sentinel is 5m away - he'll have to move to get into punching range, though the energy blast and Dark power always give other options...If you fight, Initiative is: 1d10=1 Sentinel, 1d10=3 Bad guys. They get 1 frame and are ready to fire if you say the wrong thing or so much as twitch... literally, what you say next will affect what happens ...

Admin wrote:OOC My 'draft' rules/thoughts on higher level Dark power use are as follows: Multiply the Dark Power roll by the level. Multiply the duration of said powers by level. More benefits when I think of them, open to suggestions. Frostbite (in his current form) is Dark Power Level 3. He needs to use the Dark power 15 times to advance to level 4. Character sheet will be updated.

OOC: Ok assuming I understand you meaning correctly if I wanted to use 1 dice of dark energy for one round it would be 1x3x3=9 +d20 v my ego and a d20? All that for one point of Dark energy points to spend how I wish, sounds awefully high unless I've misunderstood you here.

I can imagine say wanting a grade 2 power, at whatever cost, say I need 20 points for a single round plus the cost of the grade say another 30 so that is at least 5 dice, 6 to be safer. 6x3x3=54+d20 v my ego+d20!!! Clearly I've not understood this or we'll be using the dark power a lot less!
===

Admin wrote:"Stop." said the Dark Figure.

"Leave this place. You will do more harm than good!"

Frowining Frostbite said, "That may be so, but our need is desperate and so is that of this land. I cannot leave without help, and I cannot leave until this land whilst no help can be given in what has happened. So as you see I am at an impasse. But come now, away with deception. Why are you familiar to me, what is this deceit? Who are you? Don't make me find out, I'd rather talk than fight."

OOC: Any chance we could have a sticky where the points cost for dark power use is clear to see. once we've ironed out these cost of the use of dark powers we can go from there as to what we can use and how much.

Sj

OOC Yeah, wrong end of stick there mate. Let's say you want Frostbite to use 5 points of Dark power. You win your Ego +2d10 vs 5 +2d10 battle and get 5d10 of energy to use. Whatever you roll for that 5d10, multiply by 3. The points also last for 3 rounds. Say you want an extra grade of strength (20 points as old Frosty doesn't have strength) it will last for 3 full rounds rather than 1 as before. If Frosty wants to up his flight to grade 4 (in other words something reasonable) it would cost 45 points and last 3 rounds. With Dark power level 1 you'd have to roll quite high to get 45 points (9 average per die!). With the Dark power level 3 you are looking at needing an average roll of 3 to accomplish the same thing, and it lasts 3 times as long. Sure, 3 rounds isn't a long time in the grand scheme, but in a fight it is. At some stage you'll be using the Dark power so often it will become second nature. At that point, the game will probably change tone and pace. That's quite a way off.

So, here we go for the step by step guide of using Dark Power:

• Choose a number from 1-20. This is the Dark Power ego you are trying to beat.
  
  
• Roll 2D10+ego vs Dark Power Ego + 2D10. Highest wins. You can use a single Hero point if need be to add 2D10 to your total.
  
  
• Roll 1d10 per point of Dark power ego to see how many dark power points you can spend on new powers/upgrades. Multiply that by the characters Dark Power level (at the moment, everyone has 1 aside from Frostbite/Joe Rigdon who has 3. Nowhere Boy only has 1 in this form, but as Nowhere Man is knocking on for level 10. He has some serious problems though, and can't use the Dark Power as freely as the others - some of the multiple clashing personalities inside of him make Saladin look like a nun)
  
  
• The points last for 1 round per point of Dark power level of the character. Points start to drain if not spent at the rate of 1d10/round for unspent points. Say your character gets 100 points and spends 50, the remaining points will drain at the rate of 1d10/round. If you character has level 2 or more Dark Power the drain occurs after that many rounds, so Frostbite could conjure up 100 points, spend 50 and the other 50 would start dropping at the rate of 1d10/round after 3 rounds.

Good idea about the sticky. Will sort.

The woman paused... then removed her hood. Frostbite gasped! She was the double - save having dark brown skin and pure white hair, of Elesieth!

Frostbite spluttered in disbelief, but the woman silenced any questions when she spoke!

"The Queen drank from the Holy Grail. It is, essentially, a good magic artefact of near unlimited power. It is not sentient however, and nor does it make reasoned choices. The land was imperilled because Evil was in the ascendancy. Your friend tipped that balance because, whilst his intentions are good, the being inside him is not. When the Queen drank from the Grail it restored to her enough power to balance the good and evil in this magical world. All well and good. She started to heal the land and her people. Then the magic inside her, the 'good magic' weighed heavily on one side after you and your inner demons left this realm. I, and others like me, are the result."

She sighed. "I fight the urge to slay you, and yet part of me loves you mortal, for I am the opposite of Elesieth. You knew her for a short time only, but she saw your heart was pure and your intentions noble. More than that she saw in you a man that would fight to the bitter end for that which he believed was right. These things call out to her. I am the dark side, the evil side, of her. I feel those things she felt, but I also wish to slay you - so that she will never have you! And therein lies the problem! Every truly good person in this world helped upset the good/evil balance! The magic of the grail created an evil opposite to every good being in this world! And now you come here, with your incredible power, and tip the balance further! How much more can this world take? And what will happen in 2 days hence when the Grail Magic attempts to right the imbalance again?"

She shook her head, then lowered the bow and walked towards Frostbite. She was so beautiful - and yet Frostbite shivered. She would betray him in an instant, and not because it was what she wanted, because it was what she was!

"Leave. Let us fight our own battles. Let the land right itself. We cannot long fight the darkness within us - we were created to do evil, it is the only reason for our existence! I am a living, breathing being, and yet with every passing breath where I cause no strife or spite, I feel the hate swell within me! It's dark force will build until I cannot help but fire these poison tipped arrows, aye, able even to affect your ghostly form for they are of the Darkest Magick, as am I! We are Dark Elves, called Drow in the old tongue! We abhor the light and good, and would bring it down to our level, and plunge this world into darkness if we could!"

Her eyes shine with a mad zeal, and Frostbite knows this is a dangerous woman, with very powerful magics indeed if she were an opposite to Elesieth!

Even so, a single tear trickled down her cheek...